Intolerable Safety
by Scarlet Secret
Summary: AU. After OotP Hermione is sent to stay with Professors McGonagall and Trelawney for the summer, all of whom are there for their own safety according to the Headmaster. Needless to say they are not happy.
1. Chapter 1

"Miss Granger, I'm glad you're at home. I need to speak with you and your parents."

Albus Dumbledore had stunned the muggle-born witch when he had arrived on her doorstep at the beginning of summer, she thought it was very unlucky that her parents were out as the neighbours would wonder what a very old man was doing at the door of a teenage girl.

"Am I needed at Grimmauld Place? And please come in."

He entered the house and his robes immediately changed to what the particularly nosy neighbour next door would deem as 'weird'.

"Thank you. I need to speak with you about a very pressing matter and I ask that you inform your parents as soon as they return."

Hermione smiled to herself; the man knew everything.

"What is it Professor?"

"I am afraid that while Grimmauld Place is still immensely safe, I believe it is necessary to split up the six who journeyed to the Department of Mysteries."

"Where are the other-…?"

"I'm sorry, but for safeties sake I can not reveal all their locations, but I am sure an intelligent young woman such as yourself can guess the majorities whereabouts."

"And where will you be sending me?"

He seemed pleased that she had accepted the secret so readily. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly as though he was dreading what was about to come.

"I have spoken to," his tone implied 'argued to', "Professor McGonagall and I believe she needs to be at rest for the summer in order for her injuries to heal fully. I have asked her to take care of you and she was eager for you to join her…if not so willing to do nothing this summer."

Hermione nodded in understanding. Professor McGonagall was her favourite teacher, it wouldn't be too bad; rather enjoyable in fact – so why had Dumbledore looked so apprehensive?

"You will also be joined by another of the staff. One whom I need to keep safe from the Death Eaters."

Already guessing and dreading the answer Hermione asked the question the Headmaster feared.

"And who will that be?"

"Professor Trelawney. I realise it may be foolish to place the three of you – so hostile to each other – in the same place and in seclusion but it is the safest option for all three of you. The wards I have placed around your residence are unbreakable and both Professors are highly skilled with a wand; I assure you Miss Granger, you will be completely safe."

However, it wasn't the safeness of the building she was worried about; did the Headmaster understand the full implications of what he was inflicting upon her?

McGonagall and Trelawney would be bickering around the clock and the very few moments McGonagall took to breath that damn batty woman would be shouting out portents of doom and other cock and bull predictions that would cause her, Hermione, to lose her temper and instigate a fight with the phoney diviner.

But it was worth their safety.

"Thank you Professor Dumbledore. I'll be sure to tell my parents and when shall I leave?"

"In one day. Take this," he handed her a small book, "and it will activate as a Portkey at two o'clock tomorrow."

He stood.

"Until then I suggest you absorb the contents. It is a wonderful read and I think you may need its wisdom."

With that he Apparated away in a second leaving Hermione reading the front cover of 'The Little Book of Calm' with a bemused and apprehensive smile.


	2. Chapter 2

That night Hermione informed her parents that she had to leave them. They accepted it with the same readiness their daughter had although they were somewhat disgruntled that Hermione was leaving them for another summer.

After she packed all her belongings she was hit for the first time that she was to be locked in a house with a grudgingly inactive Professor McGonagall and an even more hysterical and, after the events in the Department, even more death driven Trelawney.

_Joy._

A whole summer with Trelawney, if they didn't kill each other in the first few days she would then have to put up with Professor McGonagall's restlessness. The women would be unbearable together – in short Hermione deduced she was in for a tough summer.

The night passed too quickly for the young Muggle-born's liking And soon it was 1:30 the following afternoon.

_Where did my sanity time go?_

Hermione wouldn't say she was completely dreading this, if she could survive it maybe she would prove to the boys that she was just as strong as they were and had lived with just as unconventional people as they had.

But the plus sides for outweighed the minus' – she was scared, perhaps the time would slow down for a little while; it was only half past. She checked her watch; quarter to!

_Where was the time going?_

Her parents had said their farewells that morning before they headed to work – they were not the type for on the spot goodbyes and Hermione wondered vaguely if she would ever spend a summer with them again.

Ten to two.

She would be able to contact her friends wouldn't she?

Ginny, Harry, Ron and, she rather grudgingly admitted, Luna were her only links to the wizarding world.

_I have to speak to them at some point somehow, or I'll go mad!_

Five to two.

Luna wasn't such a bad person, but she did have the uncanny ability few possessed to push Hermione's nerve without even realising it…not unlike Trelawney.

Two minutes to go.

I can't do this! They'll drive me mad as soon as I arrive and I'll be drawn into their little web of petty insults.

Two o'clock.

She felt the familiar jerk around her naval and found herself speeding through the air at breakneck speed. And along with the jerking feeling the equally familiar I-think-I'm-going-to-throw-up feeling arrived in full force.

The journey ended and it was lucky for the carpet she lay on that she could control her stomach, or else the occupants of the room would know what she had for breakfast.

Looking up she recognised two amused looking faces and grabbed the hand the dark-haired teacher was offering her.

"Hello Miss Granger. I take it your journey could have gone better, judging by your arrival."

She pulled herself up with the hand and brushed away at the skirt she now thought was far too short, trying to make it longer whilst under the pretence of getting rid of the non-existent dust.

Trelawney smiled at what she was doing while Professor McGonagall looked completely unaware of what she was attempting to do.

"It's quite all right; we can hardly give you detention can we?"

_What the hell!?_

"How did you…?"

"I know everything, remember?"

"Do shut up Sybill."

"I knew you were going to say that."

Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes in annoyance but for the first time Hermione thought Professor Trelawney was rather funny. She HAD known that her colleague was going to say that, she had mouthed it with a superior look on her face that mimicked the other teacher.

She HAD also known about the skirt, maybe…NO she had just observed her actions well. She had been the one to notice because Professor McGonagall was unlikely to watch her student's legs.

Then why…? "Follow me Miss Granger. I'll show you to your room then we can have lunch. You haven't eaten yet." 

It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"Er…Minerva, there isn't any lunch prepared." "Then there's something for you to do whilst I show Miss Granger around the house." She turned but Professor Trelawney was already in the kitchen. _That's just weird._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Am back from holiday suitably refreshed and am trying not to think of the long haul until Christmas. New chapter for you lovely people and another one should be coming soon. :-)

Oh and in response to one reviewers hope that there is no slash...I'm not promising anything but I do love Sybill/Minerva, but they are friends first in this fic. Whether they happen to have casual sex is another issue all together! ;-)

"…And this will be your room for the summer. I do hope you like it?"

The room in question was similar to one that might be found in Grimmauld Place, except there was no sense of dark magic surrounding it. Hermione had a feeling that her Professor's had decorated it specifically with her in mind given the abundance of bookshelves, beautiful carvings on the bedpost and the really rather spectacular view of the Highlands. It took her two glances to notice though that there was a tawny owl sat, quite calmly in a cage in the corner of her room.

"I love it, the room's perfect Professor but…erm…is he a permanent fixture?"

"Oh, it's a gift, for you. You can use it to correspond with your friends in the upcoming weeks."

She thanked her Professor truthfully, the owl would be a blessing this summer; even though she had no idea where her friends were meant to be and the concern obviously showed on her face.

"They are safe Hermione. As are you. Join us in the kitchen when you're ready."

With a smile gracing her face McGonagall touched her shoulder gently before leaving her alone in her room. Hermione looked around it once again and began to read the title of the volumes on the bookshelf with interest. Vaguely she wondered if the books had been here before or if the Professors had found them for her.

Feeling slightly happier about her situation, after all the teachers seemed to be in pleasant enough moods, she descended the stairs in pursuit on lunch. She was ten feet away from the door when –

"Minerva! Get away from the stove!"

A few moments passed before there was an almighty crash from the kitchen and Hermione heard a small shriek come from within followed by two loud thuds. Deciding, against her better judgement, to offer assistance she went inside.

Both Professors were on the floor, a portion of which was covered in a thin layer of what appeared to be soup, and both of them seemed to be nursing wounds whilst having great splotches of soup on their clothing. Professor Trelawney was lying at a very strange angle and it wasn't until Hermione got closer she saw the teacher was in fact lying on a saucepan. Only briefly though as she shot off it with a quite remarkable speed.

"What happened?"

McGonagall turned her head towards her with a look of stupendous embarrassment but regained her senses enough to reply properly.

"A magpie flew though the window with a…erm… great deal of speed, startling me enough so that I knocked the saucepan, burning myself with the contents. Sybill ran forward a bit sharpish, slipped on the soup, crashed into me and we both fell over. Her onto the pan and I onto – "

The hand beneath her back appeared clutching a fork.

"A sharp implement in a most unfortunate place."

There was silence in the room before Sybill spoke.

"I did warn you about the stove."

Another silence before both of them burst out laughing and were shortly joined by Hermione was, in a moment of clarity, realised that she was going to enjoy the summer. The Professor's cleaned up the floor, whilst McGonagall still protested loudly that Trelawney had in no way, shape or form predicted that a bird was about to fly in, and the Diviner set about cooking the second attempt at lunch. Whilst McGonagall set the table in the adjacent room Hermione asked her why she was not using magic to cook lunch. Trelawney looked at her as though he was insane.

"The magpie my dear, to just have one of them is unlucky. I would not recommend using magic in this room for some time."

Although Hermione had always believed herself a sceptic she couldn't help but nod along with Trelawney's theory.

_Come on Hermione, she's a fraud and liar! There's no logic to what she says!_

A split second later McGonagall re–entered the room and waved her wand towards the kettle.

Which promptly exploded.

As the three of them stood back up (they had dodged the metal parts flying around the kitchen) McGonagall gingerly approached the remains of the kettle.

"It's made of zinc. Repels magic. I don't remember changing it."

With a bemused expression McGonagall fetched a pan, filed it with water, pit it on the stove and left the room.

Hermione knew in that moment, she had become a believer.


	4. Chapter 4

It had not lasted long.

The peace that Hermione thought she could spend the summer in had been utterly decimated the second day of her relocation when Professor McGonagall had refused to use her walking stick and gone flying down the stairs. Professor Trelawney had been by her side in seconds but her attempts to help the other woman fell on deaf ears and McGonagall made her injuries more strained by stubbornly trying to get up repeatedly without any assistance.

Eventually Trelawney had got annoyed (secretly Hermione marvelled that she had kept her temper as long as she did) and put McGonagall under the full body bind before levitating her to the living room and the sofa. Hermione followed her inside and watched highly amused as Trelawney simply stood and watched the other woman as though she were a caged animal.

"Erm…Professor, are you going to…?"

"Not just yet."

"The longer you leave her there the angrier she'll be."

"Oh believe me I know."

"You've had to do this before?"

"Once or twice."

"And her reaction?"

"Wasn't favourable."

"What happened?"

"Several things actually. She tackled me to the floor, chased me around the castle and kept transfiguring my shawls into chain-mail the last time."

"Ah."

"Indeed."

Professor Trelawney calmly sat in the seat opposite her paralysed colleague, all the time avoiding her still-moving eyes that told Hermione there would be nothing short of mass destruction when she was freed. She was forced to admire the Diviner though as she quite serenely picked up a bundle of knitting by the chair and in the muggle way set about making what Hermione assumed wasn't an elf-hat.

Thinking she could do little else Hermione sat in the only remaining seat and opened her book. About an hour passed, all the time Hermione glancing occasionally at McGonagall and she wasn't surprised to see that the rage was yet to leave the Scottish woman's eyes. Professor Trelawney looked up and followed her gaze. Sighing heavily she closed her eyes and spoke.

"Hermione dear, would be so kind to go and make the tea… and close the door when you go into the kitchen."

She did as she was told, left the room and put the water on the stove, but immediately shoved her ear against the door to listen. She could have sworn she heard Professor Trelawney mumble something and then there was absolute silence.

Moments later something hit the other side of the door, which smashed quite a bit but didn't shatter, causing Hermione to let out a small scream and left her wondering whether the Diviner was still amongst the living.

It turned out she was. Upon re-entering the room Hermione had discovered Trelawney still sitting quite calmly in her seat with what looked like all her energy going into a shield charm. McGonagall was finally back on her feet grudgingly mending the table she seemed to have thrown into the door. Hermione had left them alone.

Hours later they were all sat in the small dining room, all completely silent and somewhat sombre. McGonagall was more flustered than Hermione had ever seen her and she thought that was quite a feat after a year with Dolores Umbridge, and Trelawney seemed to be acting as though nothing had happened, politely asking Hermione to pass the potatoes.

It was most definitely unnerving.


End file.
